The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, formerly known as Municipal Auditorium and the Philadelphia Convention Hall, located in Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. There were two important buildings on the site. The Commercial Museum, built in 1899, was one of the original exposition buildings. The Municipal Auditorium (Convention Hall), built in 1931, Philip H. Johnson, architect. The site was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948.

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The Convention Hall arena was located at 3400 Civic Center Blvd, on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, and just to the southwest of Franklin Field. It was built in 1930 and its highest capacity was approximately 12,000. The building was an Art Deco landmark, notable for its many friezes and other decorative aspects.

President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at a campaign appearance on August 29, 1964 at Convention Hall. He appeared at the Hall alongside many notable Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Democratic leaders.[2] Four days later, The Beatles played the venue on September 2, 1964 during their first tour of the United States. Hy Lit booked the band for Philadelphia for $25,000. Tickets went on sale in May 1964 and sold out within 90 minutes.[3] The Rolling Stones played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965 during their third American tour.[4]

The Auditorium's M.P. Moller 86-rank pipe organ, built in 1931, was removed just prior to the building's demolition and placed in Pennsylvania Hall in temporary storage. In October 2006 the organ was donated to the University of Oklahoma's, American Organ Institute[1] where it will be restored and become the centerpiece of their music programs.